Can Lumineers Fix My Lumineers?

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I got Lumineers a few years ago. They were never the color I wanted, but looked a tad stained to me. My dentist said they didn’t make them as white as I wanted. Now I’m seeing people who’ve had smile makeovers with much whiter teeth so I”m thinking the technology has changed. Can I get Lumineers placed over old ones to make them whiter? My dentist said teeth whitening won’t work.

Andrea

Dear Andrea,

single porcelain veneer being held up by a dental tool

Your dentist was mistaken about the first set of Lumineers. Any porcelain veneers (and Lumineers are just one brand of porcelain veneers) can be made as white as you want and that has been true since their inception. This tells me your dentist is an inexperienced cosmetic dentist who was trying to make sure your smile looked “natural”. It doesn’t surprise me he recommended Lumineers. They’re highly marketed to beginner cosmetic dentists as being easy to place.

Years ago, the Lumineers brand tried marketing itself as a way to “fix” old, ugly looking crowns. The reviews were horrible by those who had it done, which may be why they no longer market for that.

It is just as much work and safer for you to just have your porcelain veneers re-done than it is to place new veneers on top of old. Otherwise, you have two bonding procedures. If one fails, they both fail. It’s more secure to bond porcelain to natural tooth structure than it is to bond porcelain to porcelain.

Getting Your Porcelain Veneers

I don’t think you should go to the same dentist to have your porcelain veneers re-done. He doesn’t seem to understand how smile makeovers work. It’s not actually taught in dental school so dentists have to invest time and money for additional training to develop their skills.

I would look up some dentists who advertise as cosmetic dentists in your area. Before doing anything, check out the smile gallery on their website. If they don’t have one, they don’t take cosmetic dentistry very seriously. If you love the results they create, the next step would be to check their reviews.

This helps you know what other patients have felt about his or her practice. Once you are satisfied with both of those things, make sure they have some form of a beautiful smile guarantee. This way you can be certain you’ll get the smile you really want.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Tri-Colored Porcelain Veneers

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I’m really disappointed in my porcelain veneers. I spent a fortune and now I have three different colored teeth. My natural teeth are yellowed. Then, I have four porcelain veneers, but two of them have splotchy gray patches. They look to be from underneath the veneers and shining through. Will teeth whitening help this?

Vera

Dear Vera,

a porcelain veneer being placed
Porcelain veneers are a great option for smile makeovers…when done by an artistic cosmetic dentist

There are a few things going on here. The biggest issue is you have a dentist in over his or her head with porcelain veneers. Smile makeovers aren’t taught in dental school. In order to do it well, dentists have to invest years of post-doctoral training on their own time to become skilled.

Your dentist has made three pretty basic mistakes, which tells me they didn’t do that.

Porcelain Veneers Mistake #1

You said you were provided with four porcelain veneers. You also said that you can see your natural, yellow-stained teeth. This means you were not given enough porcelain veneers. Most smiles require six to eight porcelain veneers. Wider smiles will require ten.

Sometimes, getting fewer porcelain veneers is the choice of the patient, even though the dentist recommends more. Often, this is for budgetary reasons. When that happens, there is a good solution. This leads me to the next issue.

Porcelain Veneers Mistake #2

When you don’t have enough porcelain veneers to cover the teeth which are visible when you smile, the most affordable solution is to have your teeth whitened.

This makes the teeth white and closer to matching what your veneered teeth will look like. This would have kept your yellowed teeth from standing out against your veneers because the stains would be gone.

Porcelain Veneers Mistake #3

The two veneers you have which have splotchy gray stains sounds to me like they’re not bonded properly. This causes what is known as micro-leakage. When the veneers aren’t bonded on properly it allows things to get between the veneer and your teeth. This shows up as blotchy stains.

If this is the case, you have a very good case for a refund. This isn’t functional for you. Not because of the unattractiveness of the veneers, but because of the danger of decay. You have food and other bacteria getting trapped in there. Your teeth will develop cavities as a result.

Where to Go from Here

The first thing I want you to do is ask your dentist for a refund. If he or she refuses, then I want you to get a second opinion from another cosmetic dentist. If they confirm you have micro-leakage, then it will be easy for you to get a refund and get the case done properly.

Decide whether you want to have more porcelain veneers placed on the visible teeth or get your teeth whitened instead. If you decide on teeth whitening, get that done first.

I hope this puts your mind at ease.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Boss Wants Me to Straighten My Teeth

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My boss called me into his office. He started off by telling me he felt awkward saying this but he thinks I’ll understand in the long run. I was so afraid I was about to be fired. Instead, he said, “I want to give you a big promotion, but you’ll need to straighten and whiten your teeth to get it.” I was puzzled until he explained that I’ll be their Public Relations person as well as a division leader. The PR post would require me doing media interviews, which means I’d need a pretty smile in order to make a positive impression. The money would be super worth any expense. It’s a huge promotion and he was right that I’d completely understand. I want to do this right. What do you suggest?

Madison

Dear Madison,

side by side of a smile with braces and a smile with Invisalign

First, let me say congratulations! What a promotion that is. I’m sure you’re thrilled. You have a couple of great choices to meet your cosmetic goals.

Straighten Your Teeth With Invisalign

Invisalign is a type of invisible orthodontics which is ideal for adults who which to straighten their teeth without a mouth full of metal. They use clear aligners. The image above shows a comparison of someone smiling with both braces and Invisalign. They tend to also work more quickly than braces as well.

If you go this route, the aligners can double as teeth whitening trays allowing you to straighten and whiten your teeth at the same time.

Remake Your Smile with Porcelain Veneers

If you don’t care about straightening your teeth and just want them to look straight, you can get a total smile makeover with porcelain veneers.

These use tiny wafers of porcelain to change the shape, size, and color of your teeth simultaneously. They have two big benefits for you.

  • They will be a faster procedure than Invisalign
  • They can completely change your smile, making it celebrity beautiful almost instantly

Their drawback is they’re much more expensive than the first option I gave you. Either one will give you the smile you need for your promotion.

Best of luck to you and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.